Tuesday 6 May 2014

Lighting Techniques

Lighting Techniques

Photography, noun: 

1) The art or practice of taking and processing photos.

 Lighting is very important in Photography. It helps to set the tone and mood of the image as well as help to make the subject look as good as possible. I will be looking at and talking about many different areas of lighting in Photography. 

 The areas I will be looking at will include:

  • The difference between Hard and Soft light.
  • The studio set up of Three Point Lighting.
  • Silhouettes - shooting into the sun. 
  • Light Direction
  • White Balance - Colour of light. 
  • I will also include research into colour and their meanings. 

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Hard and Soft Light

There are lots of light sources used in Photography, and depending on the conditions you're shooting in, they produce hard or soft light. If you are shooting a picture whilst facing the sun, hard light will be produced. Hard light creates very dark shadows around the subject. However, when you are shooting with the sun behind you, there will be soft light produced. Soft light still creates shadows, but they aren't as harsh and dark as hard light. 

It is good to use hard light when you are shooting quite a serious picture and want it to convey quite a serious mood. It is best to use soft light when shooting things like family pictures, as it isn't as dark. 



This picture shows an example of hard light. Hard light  creates shadows in pictures and creates quite a harsh light. The light source is coming from the top right corner and you can't see any detail from the sky in that corner. You also have the shadows on the floor coming from the building and the bin. Hard light is when you have the light in front of you when you take the picture. It often makes the subject appear in shadow and looking quite dark.


The light in this picture is soft light. You can see a lot more detail on the tree, like the berries growing on it. You can still see shadows on the building in the background but they aren't as harsh or noticeable  Soft light is when you have the light behind you while taking the picture, which is a more flattering light.


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Three Point Lighting


Three point lighting is made up of three certain points where light comes from. There is a Key light, which is the main source of light. A Fill light, which takes away any shadows and gives you a white background. There is also a hair light, which shines on the subject of the photo to separate them from the background and also contours them. Many people also have a white sheet hung up behind the subject, which just makes it easier for the photographer when it comes to editing. 
There are also some health and safety hazards when it comes to three point lighting, for example there is a trip hazards when there are leads trailing on the floor. There is also a risk of someone getting burned, as the lights can get really hot. 




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Light Direction


In Photography, there are many different directions that you can shoot to get different effects from your source of light. If you are shooting into the sun, you will mostly get silhouettes and outlines, whereas if you shoot with a side light, you will be able to see the features of your subject, but half of they face will be lit and the other half will be in shadow. Light Direction is used in many things, for example; 

  • Horror Films



This is a still image from 'The Woman In Black'. The light direction in this is coming from behind Daniel Radcliffe, where there are windows behind him. This makes the room very dark and shadowed, and adds to the creepy vibe of the film. As the actor walks further away from the light, he becomes a lot more like a silhouette and it means that the viewer cannot see everything that is going on in the room. This is a common light direction to use in horror films, as it makes everything a lot darker and add to the suspense and eerie feeling that you get when watching it. It is also used to bring an element of surprise, as it is hard to see anything that's in the rest of the room, meaning the viewer can't see if there is anything in there. 

link to original image: http://lgcdn.horror-movies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/wpid-Photo-2012-12-30-937-AM.jpg


  • Fashion Photography


Light direction is also used in Fashion Photography. In this image of Amanda Seyfried, the light is coming from in front of her. By using the light from this direction, it is mostly focused on her face, and it makes her skin look flawless. It adds to the polished, glossy effect that most magazines use, and also looks very classy. Most fashion photographers use this as it is quite a flattering light for most people, and takes away any blemishes on their skin. It makes their skin look clear and almost perfect, which is the look most magazines strive for. 

link to original image: http://kichiwall.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/fashion-photography-for-Marie-Claire-8449.jpg

Silhouette Shots

A Silhouette is the dark shape and outline of someone or something. Silhouettes appear in pictures that are set against a bright background. Silhouette photography is often quite dark, which means it is quite good for when you want to take a more serious photo, perhaps for a horror film advert. Photographers are often told to shoot with the sunlight behind them so as not to create any silhouettes or shadows, but if you are shooting with the sunlight behind your subject, it brings a more intense look to the picture. 


This is an example of silhouette photography I found on the internet. 

link to the original image: http://crispme.com/silhouette-photography-by-tj-scott/

We also looked at Jasper James' photography, who does a lot of city scape photography and puts silhouettes over the top of the image. 


I also created my own picture inspired by Jasper James. I used an aerial shot taken of the New York City skyline, and also a picture that I'd taken of my friend, which I changed the transparency on so that you could see the picture of New York behind it. 

-picture- 


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White Balance

White balance is used to correct the colours cast from different types of lighting. For example in fluorescent lighting, subjects may appear slightly green, and by using White Balance you can correct this so that the subject appears in a more natural light. On a DSLR camera there are many different White Balance settings, including; 
  • Auto- This means the the camera will automatically detect the type of light an adjust the White Balance so that it corrects the light.This often shows cooler colours.
  • Daylight - This is for use when shooting outdoors. You can use the Auto setting for any lighting, but if you were taking a picture of a sunset, the auto setting would make the actual colours of the sunset and make them less saturated, making them look a lot less vibrant and spoiling the picture. however, if you use the daylight setting, it will capture all of the colours in the sunset and make them appear just as, if not more, vibrant. This setting shows warmer colours. 
  • Tungsten (also known as Indoor) - This is used when shooting in a house or studio. It has a blue tint to it, which makes the scene look a bit more normal rather than artificially lit. It often shows cooler colours. 
  • Cloudy - The cloudy setting is mostly used for shots outdoors, often when shooting in sunlight. It mostly shows warmer colours. 
  • Incandescent - This is often used when shooting under fluorescent lights. It makes the image warmer and shows warmer colours. 
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Colour Meaning

Colours have different meanings and connotations of what that colour represents. With a different colour comes a different meaning or representation.


  This is a colour wheel. Each of the colours have different meanings, for example; 
Yellow - Represents Happiness and joy. It also connotes caution, as most caution signs are yellow. Some also say that it connotes cowardice. 


Orange - Also connotes happiness. Can also connote youthfulness and wealth. 

Red - Red represents love and passion. It also represents anger and danger.

Purple - Purple is seen as quite a royal colour. It also connotes luxury and creativity. 


Blue - Blue is a very calm colour. It represents calm and trust, and also represents nature.

 

Green - Green is representative of jealousy and envy, however it does also connote nature and can sometimes be quite a soothing colour. 


Black - Black is seen as a very mysterious colour. It is often thought of as a colour that represents evil. It also represents sophistication. 








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